Happy New Year!

I think that the New Year is the perfect time to kick off my new blog, which is a celebration of the three things I love most in life: food, knitting and my family. And as we begin the new year, it is of course time for reflection on the things in life that need improving, but primarily for me it is a reflection on the things in life that I am grateful and happy for. Most importantly, I am thankful for my family. I have an amazing and tolerant husband who cherishes me not only for my gifts, but for my quirks as well. And trust me, as you get to know me, you will understand that I have several of them! I also have two amazing children, a four-year-old daughter, Bean, and a three month old son, C (sorry, I haven’t come up with a better nickname for him yet). My kids are truly my joy in life and I am astounded every day at how different they are, yet both equally wonderful.

Bean is my deep thinker. She has piercing, deep brown eyes that can look directly into your soul. She was never a big smiler, or giggler as a baby which led me to wonder early on if I was “messing her up” somehow, but I’ve since learned that this is just her personality. She thinks about everything and analyzes it to pieces. She is goal oriented and headstrong and I have no doubt she will change the world someday. She is her father. Fortunately, I’m just crazy about him so having him in miniature is not a bad thing!

C is my happy-go-lucky little guy. Quick with a smile and charm and a wide eyed stare that just makes you want to kiss him all over his face. It is early, but I think already that he will be my laid-back kid. He may need that to survive as his sister can be rather particular! I am so looking forward to discovering who he is as he grows. He is me so far, which thrills me to no end. Finally my genes are showing up in one of my kids! Bean is all her daddy in appearance, although I have certainly shaped her wit and attitude (for better or worse as the case may be).

I have two other great pleasures in my life that maybe you can discern from the title of my blog. They are food and knitting. I am blessed to live in one of the finest cities in the world for dining. New Orleans is the perfect melting pot of cuisine and is its own gumbo of tastes and sensations. I swore after I graduated from college that I would never continue living in Louisiana, but somehow the food and culture of the region sunk their teeth in to me and I was never able to “escape”. I hope to share with my readers, if I have any, my dining experiences in the city and my adventures into becoming more of a well-rounded cook in my own home, including any good recipes that I may discover along the way.

Finally, I am a Knitter. And yes, I feel comfortable enough with my skills to refer to myself as a knitter with a capital “K”! I love yarn and have over the past few years amassed quite the collection of yarn. I love everything about yarn and have developed quite the appreciation for high quality fiber. I am rather compulsive about the acquisition of new yarns, but this year have decided that I will try and curb my influences as I embark on a bit of a “yarn diet” this year. I may need some support, Internetz!

So, as is traditional, I am going to make some resolutions for the New Year. I hope by making them public I will be pressured to keep them, but know that like many resolutions, mine may be forgotten before January is through. I am only human, but I shall do my best!

Resolved: I have too much yarn. Therefore, this year I will make no new yarn purchases with the exception of four yarn clubs that I am already a member of. The money is spent on those, there is no getting it back, so I will just look forward to my club deliveries with even more eagerness since, hopefully, they will be my only new infusion of yarn. Oh, unless someone gives me a gift certificate or cash gift with the express purpose of it going to yarn….yeah, I can make exceptions for that!

Resolved: I am currently thirty pounds heavier than I was on the day I got married. This is understandable since I’ve had two kids, but my body is not happy where it is. So, this year I am going to try and become healthier. In order to do that, Hubby and I are going to begin what we have termed the “No-Rules Sunday” diet. We try to be good all week with our food selection, no fast food, no sweets and no sodas, then on Sunday we can do whatever the hell we want. It’s not so much about limiting intake, but more about making good food choices. We did it for a while a couple of years ago and both lost a fair amount of weight. Unfortunately, we fell off the tracks for a while, but we’re hopping back on, my friends! In addition to making better choices as far as food, we’re also going to begin incorporating more physical activity into our day. We have two little kids who need us to be active and play with them, so dammit, we need to get in shape!

So, welcome to my little corner of the world, I hope that you enjoy my blog.